Initial FY 2020 Appropriations Minibus - H.R.2740

BACKGROUND: The Appropriations Committee reported all five of the spending bills that comprise this measure with minority views, as follows: HR 2740, Labor-HHS-Education by a 30-23 vote (H Rept 116-62); HR 2779, Legislative Branch by a 28-22 vote (H Rept 116-64); HR 2968, Defense by a 30-23 vote (H Rept 116-84); HR 2839, State-Foreign Operations by a 29-23 vote (H Rept 116-78); and HR 2960, Energy-Water by a 31-21 vote (H Rept 116-83).

    The most recent bipartisan agreement to roll back cuts to discretionary spending required by the 2011 Budget Control Act (PL 111-25) expires at the end of the current fiscal year. For FY 2020, which begins Oct. 1, lower sequester-reduced caps on discretionary spending required by the 2011 law are scheduled to return. If implemented, they would require defense cut by $71 billion (11%) from current levels, and nondefense discretionary spending by $54 billion (9%).

    ?President Donald Trump in his FY 2020 budget proposed to leave the sequester-reduced caps in place. But he proposed to provide additional funding for defense through the uncapped Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account, which is supposed to be used primarily to fund war costs. Specifically, he proposed providing $174 billion in defense OCO funding, thereby providing a total of $750 billion for defense, $34 billion more than current funding.

    ?Democrats consider the president's proposal to be a non-starter, and congressional leaders from both parties have called for a new two-year agreement to increase discretionary caps for FY 2020 and FY 2021. Some initial negotiations occurred in early May.

    ?To help provide momentum for negotiations and get the FY 2020 appropriations process under way, the House on April 9 adopted a Democratic "deeming resolution" (H Res 293) that set a discretionary spending top-line of $1.295 trillion for FY 2020. That has enabled the House Appropriations Committee to begin marking up FY 2020 spending bills, with committee Democrats allocating a total of $664 billion for the defense budget category (2.6% more than current funding) and $631 billion for nondefense programs (5.7% more than the current level).

    House ?Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., says that leadership intends to pass all 12 of the House's FY 2020 appropriations bills by the end of June, through several multi-bill packages.

SUMMARY: Following is a brief summary of the modified measure as posted on the Rules Committee website, which is expected to be made in order for the House floor. A House Action Reports Fact Sheet with a more detailed analysis will be available prior to floor consideration.

    The bill consists of five FY 2020 appropriations measures, which combined provide a total of $986.8 billion in discretionary spending for FY 2020 according to the Appropriations Committee — including $910.8 billion in spending subject to the House's $1.295 trillion deemed cap on discretionary spending for the fiscal year, and $76.1 billion in uncapped Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding. Within the totals, $645.1 billion of base discretionary spending is for defense (budget function 050) programs and activities and $265.7 billion is for nondefense programs and activities, while defense OCO totals $68.1 billion and nondefense OCO totals $8 billion.

    Of the total $986.8 billion in discretionary spending provided by the measure, $690.2 billion would be for the Defense Department.

Labor-HHS-Education

    The bill provides a total of $189.9 billion in discretionary funding for programs and activities of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education departments, as well as several related agencies. According to appropriators, that total is $11.8 billion (7%) more than the comparable FY 2019 level and $47.9 billion (33%) more than requested by the president.

    On a programmatic basis, after certain offsets and other elements are factored in which allow greater spending above scored discretionary caps, the measure provides a total of $204.3 billion in actual discretionary appropriations for use by the departments and agencies funded by the measure, $14.9 billion more than the comparable FY 2019 total.

    In addition, it provides $899.9 billion in mandatory funding for various programs and activities, including Medicaid grants to states, payments to health care trust funds, and Social Security Supplemental Security Income benefit payments.

    The measure rejects deep cuts or the elimination of many programs proposed by the Trump administration, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Community Services Block Grants, AmeriCorps, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Health and Human Services Department

    The bill provides $99.4 billion in discretionary funding for programs and activities of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department, $8.9 billion more than FY 2019. HHS would also receive $690.6 billion in mandatory funding (including advance funding from previous years) for items such as Medicaid grants to states and payments to health care trust funds.

    It increases funding for the National Institutes of Health by $2.2 billion to $41.1 billion, and provides an across-the-board increase of 5% for all institutes and centers in an effort to provide less targeted funding and more funding for foundational research. It also increases funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by $938 million and includes $25 million for the CDC and NIH to conduct research into the prevention of injury and death from firearms violence. Funding is also increased for Title X Family Planning, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, HIV research, prevention and treatment, diabetes and heart disease prevention, the early detection and prevention of cancer, and reducing tobacco use, especially among youth.

Education Department

    The bill provides $75.9 billion in discretionary funding for the Education Department, $4.5 billion (6%) more than FY 2019 and $11.9 billion (19%) more than requested. The department would also receive $3.6 billion in mandatory funding for vocational rehabilitation state grants.

    It increases funding for early childhood education programs by 25% to almost $20 billion, provides Child Care and Development Block Grant funded services to an additional 300,000 children (allowing more parents to stay in the workforce), and expands Early Head Start programs to 80,000 more infants and toddlers.

    Funding for K-12 education programs would be increased by 9% ($3.4 billion), and it includes $260 million for a new initiative to support social-emotional learning and whole child approaches to education and community schools. It increases the maximum Pell Grant for low-income students by $150, to $6,345.

Labor Department

    The measure provides $13.3 billion in total discretionary spending — including a $1.8 billion advance for FY 2021 — $1.2 billion more than FY 2019. The department for FY 2020 would also receive $1.4 billion in mandatory funding for a variety of benefit programs.

    To address jobs that do not pay a living wage, it provides $5.8 billion (a $625 million increase) for programs authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, as well as $250 million ($90 million more) for apprenticeship programs, and $1.9 billion ($150 million more) for Job Corps. It includes a new $150 million initiative to allow community colleges to provide training to workers in-demand industries.

Legislative Branch

    The bill appropriates a total of $4 billion for operations of the House of Representatives, joint House-Senate items and legislative branch entities such as the Capitol Police, Library of Congress, the Government Accountability Office and the Government Publishing Office. The total is $165 million (4%) more than FY 2019 but $182 million less than was requested by the offices and agencies covered by the measure.

    It does not include Senate-only items, which by custom are added by that chamber. And unlike in recent years, it also does not block a pay raise for members of Congress, who under current law would be eligible for a 2.6% increase in January 2020.

    The total provides $1.4 billion for operations of the House of Representatives (9% more than FY 2019 but slightly less than requested), including $615 million for member offices, $160 million for committees, $28 million for leadership, $246 million for House offices and employees, and $290 million for other expenses.

    It also provides $21 million to fund joint House-Senate offices, including the Joint Economic Committee and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

    The total includes $720 million for the Library of Congress, (3% more than FY 2019), $616 for the Government Accountability Office (4% more), $463 million for the Capitol Police (2% more), and $53 million for the Congressional Budget Office (4% more). It provides $625 million for the Architect of the Capitol (2% less than current funding), while providing level funding for the Government Publishing Office and the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (formerly the Office of Compliance).

    The bill also provides $6 million to re-establish the Office of Technology Assessment, which will provide expertise on technological developments to lawmakers.

    The measure allows legislative branch agencies to employ individuals who have work authorizations under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. It also increases funding for House intern allowances, and increases the limit on intern allowances from $20,000 per member office to $25,000.

Defense

    The bill appropriates a total of $690.2 for the Defense Department — $15.8 billion (3%) more than the FY 2019 enacted level but $8.0 billion (1%) less than the president's request.

    The total includes $622.1 billion in base discretionary funding subject to caps ($15.6 billion more than FY 2019 but $88.2 billion less than requested) and $68.1 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO)/Global War on Terrorism funding ($165 million more than FY 2019, but $96.2 billion less than requested). The measure offset some of the spending increases by rescinding $3.1 billion in previously appropriated funds.

    Within the total (including OCO), it provides $256.5 billion for operation and maintenance, $153.9 billion for personnel, $142 billion for procurement, and $101.5 billion for research and development.

    It provides approximately $11 billion for ballistic-missile defense, including missile defense installations in Poland, Romania and Hawaii and cooperative missile defense programs with Israel. It provides $10.2 billion for procurement and development of 90 new F-35 fighter jets ($794 million and 12 aircraft more than requested) and $21.7 billion for 11 major Navy ships ($2.1 billion, or 9%, less than requested).

    The measure prohibits the department from reprogramming money for the president's southern border wall project, and in response to the administration tapping military construction accounts to pay for parts of the wall, it reduces the department's "transfer authority" to move money within appropriations accounts from $9.5 billion to $1.5 billion.

    The bill also prevents Turkey from buying U.S.-made F-35 stealth fighters if it proceeds with buying a Russian missile defense system; it phases out the existing 2001 authorization for the use of military force that has been used to wage military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria; and it generally prohibits U.S. armed forces from supporting the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

State-Foreign Operations

    The bill provides a total of $56.4 billion in discretionary funding — including $48.4 billion subject to budget caps and $8 billion in OCO funding for programs related to the war in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and other expenses, such as humanitarian relief for Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.

    The combined total is $2.2 billion (4%) more than comparable FY 2019 funding and $13.7 billion (32%) more than the president's request (which included no OCO funding).

    The measure rejects most of the major spending reductions proposed by President Trump, whose budget would have reduced non-military foreign spending by 21%. It includes $9.3 billion for global health programs, $3.3 billion for military assistance to Israel, $1.4 billion in assistance to Egypt, $1.5 billion for Jordan and $446 million for Ukraine. It includes $6.3 billion to combat HIV/AIDS, and $541 million to respond to the surge of migrants from Central America entering the United States.

     It increases funding for international narcotics and law enforcement activities by 70% and for international nonproliferation, anti-terrorism and demining activities by 25%. Finally, it repeals the Trump administration's "Mexico City" restrictions on U.S. international family-planning funding, permits funding to the Palestinians that the administration has tried to ban, and prohibits the use of funds to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change.

Energy-Water

    The bill provides a total of $46.4 billion in discretionary funding — $1.8 billion (4%) more than FY 2019 funding and $8.5 billion (22%) more than requested. According to the Appropriations Committee, it provides $23.1 billion for defense-related activities ($673 million more than FY 2019), while providing $23.3 billion for nondefense activities ($1.1 billion more).

Energy Department

    Of the total, $37.1 billion is for the Energy Department — $1.4 billion (4%) more than the current level and $5.6 billion (18%) more than requested. It provides $15.9 billion for weapons activities (4% more than FY 2019), and $1.7 billion for nuclear nonproliferation activities (6% less). A total of $6.0 billion is provided for defense environmental cleanup activities, 0.5% less than current levels.

    The Energy Department total also includes $6.9 billion for science activities (4% more than FY 2019 but 24% more than requested) and $1.3 billion for nuclear energy activities (1% less than FY 2019 but 60% more than requested). It provides level funding for core fossil fuel energy research and development programs at $740 million (32% less than requested), but increases funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs (by 11%), and Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, ARPA–E (by 16%). Funding for cleanup of civilian nuclear sites would be reduced by 1%.

Corps of Engineers & Other Agencies

    The measure provides $7.4 billion for construction and other activities of the Army Corps of Engineers, $357 million (5%) more than FY 2019 and $2.4 billion (48%) more than requested. It also provides $1.6 billion for activities of the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation (5% more than FY 2019 and 47% more than requested), and includes no funding to continue efforts to restart work on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository ($39 million was requested).

    The measure prohibits the department from reprogramming money for the president's southern border wall project, and it encourages the Energy Department to continue to provide technical assistance as Puerto Rico works to rebuild its energy infrastructure.